An electric hand tool, for example a drill or a screwdriver, has an electric motor to cause a tool holder of the hand tool to rotate. It is operated by one or more operating elements, one of which influences several functions of the hand tool under some circumstances. For example, a first operating element may control the direction of rotation of the electric motor or the tool holder, a second operating element may control the speed of rotation and a third operating element may control a torque limitation, which prevents the hand tool from delivering a torque higher than the predetermined torque via the tool holder.
Such an operating element usually includes a plurality of electrical and mechanical components which are configured primarily to trigger an electrical switching operation assigned to the operating element. In the case of the operating element which may be used for choosing the direction of rotation of the electric motor, for example, a two-way switch may be included for polarity reversal of the electric motor. The electrical switching operation is usually processed further via an electronic control unit.
Such operating elements may become rather complex, depending on the required design, the scope of function and the degree of integration, so that the development and manufacturing expense may also be quite high. The lifetime of a complex operating element may be short due to the great number of possible weaknesses. If the operating element has a high degree of integration or miniaturization, then repair of individual components is often impossible in the event of a defect.